Strategic Materials Research & Development (R&D) Program

Background
The Strategic Materials Research & Development (R&D) Program, issued by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), aims to restore and stabilize strategic and critical materials supply chains that have been compromised due to decreased or abandoned domestic mining and refining activities or a lack of domestic manufacturing.

The goal of this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is to encourage research that includes material and production process substitutes or drop-in replacements to alleviate issues such as single points of failure in supply chains, dependence on unreliable foreign sources, or the replacement of legacy materials.

Work Details
The BAA focuses on various technical areas of interest including:
- Energetic Materials: Enhancements in propellants, pyrotechnics, explosives, and initiating compositions used in ammunition.
- Energy and Power Materials: Improvements in energy density or safety for batteries in nuclear weapon systems and national security space systems.
- Aeronautical and Astronautical Materials: Development of new materials for aerospace applications that meet design requirements with reduced production steps.
- Armor Materials: Innovations that reduce the weight of armor systems while maintaining or improving ballistic performance.
- Stable Isotopes: Enhancements for nuclear reactor coolant and waste storage systems.
- Paints, Coatings, and Surface Treatments: Materials that improve corrosion resistance while reducing weight and hazardous materials usage.
- Mining: Analysis of material origins, existing mines' conditions, and potential new mining operations.
- Refining and Processing: Assessments of refining facilities to enhance material quality and production efficiency.
- Recycling, Conservation, and Substitution Options: Identification of material substitutes and recycling opportunities.
- Permanent Magnet Recycling: Research on recycling methods for neodymium iron boron magnets.
- Permanent Magnet Manufacturing: Novel manufacturing methods for iron nitride magnets.

Period of Performance
This BAA will remain open for five years from the date of issuance.

Place of Performance
The geographic locations for performance are not explicitly stated but may include various domestic sites relevant to the research areas.